Notes / Commercial Description:
Imperial in stature and bigger than your average stout. This colossal stout was inspired by those created by 18th century English brewers for the Russian Imperial Court of Catherine II. The special malts in this intense and massive brew delivers rich flavors of dark chocolate, coffee, and anise.

User Reviews

Reviews by Trent:

More User Reviews:

4/5 rDev +4.7%look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

9.2% ABV. per label.Good to see SA branch out and make a foray into this style.Poured into a snifter an oil slick black with a minimal cappuccino (like the bottle says)colored head that is gone rather quickly.Aromas of charred dark fruit and black licorice,dark roast coffee and a bit of wood as well.Flavors are heavy on the black licorice with molasses and dark fruit quite prevelant as well,a nice bit of raw earthiness in the finish as well.A solid stab at the style,just all around good.

Pours very dark, thick and syrupy. The frothy brown head is gone pretty quickly with little lacing. Smells of roasted coffee and semi-sweet dark chocolate. Mouth feel is creamy, smooth and very tasty with a little bit of bitterness. For a Sammy, it was an unexpected treat. I liked it a lot. Reminded me of the Stone 12th anniversary bitter dark chocolate oatmeal stout but a bit less smokey. I'll be getting more.

This beer was a syrupy-looking black brew with a small orange/tan head and a tiny bit of lace. It had a bittersweet chocoloate and roasted malt aroma. A nice espresso bitterness, also some chocolate and dark fruit. More bitter than sweet, a pretty good stout.

A - Pours pitch black with two fingers of brown head. Head looks creamy and has good retention. A nice amount of lacing left behind.

S - Chocolate, coffee, roasted malt, dark fruits and a bit of anise. Also a touch of hops. Pretty nice.

T - The taste has more coffee than chocolate, moderate roastedoak malt, a subtle but noticeable hop punch, a bit of anise, raisin and faint cherry. Alcohol not noticeable at all.

M - Mouthfeel is medium, definitely not heavy, slighty bitter and dry on the finish.

O - Pretty good RIS overall, at a great price. Like a lot of Sam Adams beers, this seems a bit subdued, and so doesn't really stand out. But it is a tasty and easy drinking RIS that I could see having again.

The beer pours a black color with a tan head. The aroma is roasted malt, chocolate, coffee and a little bit of dark fruit. A nice, complex aroma and better than I expected. The flavor is a mix of heavy roasted/charred malt, dark chocolate and some coffee. There is also a nice bit of cream flavor. Medium to thick mouthfeel and medium carbonation. A very nice Imperial Stout, easily the best beer from the Samuel Adams Imperial Series.

Poured nicely with a 2 finger head.. completely black..im not seeing any light through this stout. Moderate lacing of the tannish foam. 1st smells of roasted malts with some chocolate, and smoky fruit?, but not overpowering. Tastes of coffee..dark cocoa. Mouthfeel is great: thick, mild carbonation, coats the tongue nicely. I think Sam Adams does a nice job of trying to bring a wide variety of brews to a mass market. Id drink it again but i think id take a Founders or Arcadia Ales IS over it anyday.